Planning--The Key to A Great Week!

Monday - A Good Day to Plan
I seem to regularly battle the tendency to procrastinate. The poem below which I found on eHomebody.com best describes my 'normal tendencies'. Without a plan, this is pretty much what you can expect during the week at our house!

They That Wash on MondayThey that wash on MondayHave all week to dry;They that wash on TuesdayAre not much awry;They that wash on WednesdayAre not so much to blame;They that wash on ThursdayWash for shame;They that wash on FridayWash in need;And they that washon Saturday?Dirty they are indeed![3]

This writer has a great collection of the history of housewifely poems, so drop by if you are interested in reading more! This cartoon below is just hilarious too. You know, somethings get so routine, that you have to joke about them.

Why Have a Schedule?
So why should we do on Monday what we could put off until Saturday?? Why indeed? Diana of Confessions of an Organized Housewife, gave this explanation for having set duties for each day. There will always be more clothes to wash or sew, grass to mow, bills to pay etc..

It has been said that a woman's work truly is never done...but Monday's work can be...or Tuesday's etc. We want to get that 'FINISHED' feeling!

That's why we schedule certain things for certain days of the week. I had to buy a second copy of this book because after 20 years of reading and re-reading, I had worn it out.

The Perfect Homemaker...Not!
When the children were little, I must have read the Little House in the Prairie series 20 times over. Laura's mother was, to me, the quintessential housewife. Unlike me, she was orderly, disciplined, and always cheerful no matter what trial she might face in her life. Somehow, even the lowliest sod hut became a cheerful home, according to Laura. She was my 'heroine' as I tried to find my way towards being the best homemaker I could be all the while fighting my SHE tendencies.

Monday - A Good Day to PlanWell, disciplined, I am not, and routine escapes me..but I do try to aim for some sort of schedule in my week. For me, Monday is not a day to be dreaded..but the first day of what can be a the new start of a better week than perhaps last week was. That's why, I like to make most of my planning for the week on Mondays. So that being the case, I thought I'd share my weekly schedule..though I don't intend to dance around the Mulberry bush singing about it. Ha!

Tackle the Laundry and Bless Your Home
In FlyLady's program, Monday was the day for doing our "Home Blessing". I liked that idea a lot. I talked about the home blessing quite a bit here and here. Monday is also a good day for catching up on the laundry, even though I try to do it every day. As Diane in her Confessions book says..somethings are better done daily. Laundry is one of those things we call 'growing' work. If we don't do it every day, it tends to grow..
However, I like to take off on the weekends..and the laundry piles up.

So what are your goals for this week? More specifically...what big project would you like to get done. My plan is to get at least five couch cushion covers finished! If I can get this done, I can start working on some other sewing I have gotten behind on.

Don Aslett in one of my favorite organizing books, the 48 Hour day says

Don't to be afraid to make a long TO DO list. He says the longer the better! If we aim high, we will get more done..right?

He is so inspiring!! His whole book is about getting more done and spending less time procrastinating.

Here's my TO DO list for this week..

Monday- Menu plan for April and make grocery list
Home Blessing and Clean fridge. Sell appliances on Craig's List for DH.Tuesday - Pay bills and get paperwork for Dad's house sent off in the mail.Wednesday - (Anti-Procrastination Day) Sew Mom's Couch Cushion Covers!!!
Start Driver's Ed with Jacob Thursday - Write post for "How to Re-Cover Couch Cushions"
Deep clean and de-clutter the rest of the living room.Friday - Learn to make Collard Green Chile Quesadillas!! I'll be visiting Gloria soon
Family Fun: Play Bumper Pool with the kids Saturday- Start a new blog for my weight loss buddies...a quickie one..no sweating over the looks!! Quilt at least one hour on my great grandma's antique postage stamp quilt.
Make Wedding Favors.

Well..that's enough for anyone's week..but if I get on a roll..you never know what I might get done! I do have a cold but hopefully it won't get me down too much.

What are your plans for the week? Everything I've ever read about goal setting says..make it specific and do-able. Mine are both.

Aren't Mondays marvelous? I love em'!!

How about joining me and see how much junk we can get out of our Living Rooms! Send me a pix of your living room or whichever room you most need to work on and

We'll have a little contest and see who gets their Living Room the cleanest. Be sure to take a BEFORE and an AFTER pix.

7 comments:

okay so you just may have a point...maybe I should try and tackle a few things a day and not everything all at once (finishing none)Looks like I'll have to make up a weekly "Try to" list and build from there. Thanks for the common sense reality check.

I like that you make up a list of things to do. I do too. I don't think I am as efficient as you though. I love to wash and hang clothes and that is my favorite thing to do besides cooking. Enjoy your week Donna and sorry I haven't been around. I'm still commuting back and forth to San Jose to stay on/off with my mom. Right now I'm doing a little catching up since I am home. Take care.

Welcome to Comin' Home! If you lived nearby, I'd invite you over to my neck of the woods for a nice long chat and a cup of tea out on the deck. But since we can't do that, I hope you'll stay and look around. I love learning new things and sharing what I learn with friends. Comin' Home is where I share tips from my many projects. Let's have some fun together! XO Donna